Lincoln On The Loose
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: It's Valentines Day in Royal Woods, and Lynn notices that Lincoln is sneaking around. What could her younger brother be up to, and what else can a big sister do but snoop?


**(A/N: hope you all had a happy Valentines Day. Now, this piece can be taken one of two ways. You can either read it a a stand alone piece, or you can see it as a continuation of CasaLoud Christmas. It's not officially a sequel, but I've looked at it both ways, and it works for me either way.**

**However you read this, I hope you enjoy this!)**

Ah, Valentine's Day- the one day of the year full of reckless consumerism, last-minute date plans and the occasional outburst of "why don't you celebrate love like this every day!" But at the heart of it all, the traditions and celebrations that would occur on this day were about the love that everyone shared and the people they shared it with. Whether they had plans to go to dinner or catch a movie, spend the night in or go out for a night they would never forget, everyone was looking forward to their plans.

Unfortunately for a certain middle schooler with a brown ponytail, her plans for the day weren't going to turn out how she had hoped.

"What do you mean practice is cancelled?!" Lynn shouted, unable to believe what her best friend had just told her.

"Sorry, Lynn," Margo told her with a shrug. "Coach and his wife are going out, and most of the team have dates, so there wasn't much point in having training today."

Lynn huffed, crossing her arms angrily. "Just great."

"Come on, Lynn, you must have seen this coming! I'm surprised you aren't doing something with Francisco! I thought you liked him?"

Lynn's harsh glare lessened, her arms coming uncrossed and falling back down to her sides. "Well, I do, but… he never asked me."

Margo frowned. "Oh… Sorry."

"It's fine, he's probably busy or something. I think he has practice today at his school."

"Well, maybe you can-" She was interrupted by a text alert. Pulling out her phone, she looked at the message she had received and blushed, then looked back at Lynn. "Listen, I need to go. Joe asked me to be his Valentine, and our movie is in twenty minutes."

Lynn smirked. "You and Joe, huh? About time he asked you out! You've only been waiting since, what, you MET him?" Margo's blush grew at the friendly teasing. "Yeah, go on. Don't keep him waiting, and let me know how it goes tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lynn. And don't worry, just call Francisco and do something together."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, now go on!" Margo chuckled as she walked away, waving goodbye to Lynn. As Lynn saw her friend walk off, she thought about the advice she had received, and shrugged. "Guess it couldn't hurt to give him a call." She almost felt herself get giddy as she pulled out her phone and began to search through her contacts for her crush, thinking about what they could possibly get up to. She eventually found his number and her thumb hovered over the call button, before something caught the corner of her eye- a small tuft of white hair, passing by a building. "There's only one person I know in this town with white hair, and I know he didn't tell us about any plans he had." She looked back at her phone, taking a moment before turning it off and putting it back in her pocket. "I can call Francisco later. Right now, I should see what HE's up to."

Running across the street, she dashed down the sidewalk, careful not to knock anyone over as she passed them by. When she turned the corner, she looked ahead and her suspicions were confirmed- up ahead was her white-haired younger brother Lincoln. The eleven-year-old, wearing his typical orange polo and blue jeans, had just crossed the street, and seemed to be looking around. To Lynn, it seemed as if he was making sure that he wasn't being followed, which was sending red flags in her mind. 'Okay, he's definitely up to something,' she thought to herself, narrowing her eyes as he began to jog away. 'I'm not sure I like what I'm seeing, but I better follow him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.'

Lincoln, meanwhile, kept walking, occasionally checking over his shoulders. He hadn't yet seen Lynn, but was weary that one of his sisters might see him. 'Relax, Lincoln, you'll be fine,' he attempted to reason with himself. 'They're not going to see you, they're all busy with their own things, they're not going to find out.'

He stopped at the traffic lights, waiting until it was safe to cross. Pulling his backpack off one shoulder, he opened it up and looked inside. Lynn, who was on the other side of the road, tried to see what he was looking for. "C'mon, Link, just pull it out a little…" She blinked, before her expression deadpanned. "Good thing Luan's not here- who knows what corny joke she'd have to say about that?" Redirecting her attention to her brother, she saw him zip up his bag again and continue across the street at a jogging pace, since it was now safe. She readied herself to follow after him, but the traffic meant she was unable to cross over, meaning that he was getting further ahead. 'Dang it! What do I do now?!' She was practically staring a hole into the traffic lights, as if the green light was taunting her. She began tapping her feet and balled up her fist, waiting and waiting for the lights to change, until they finally did. The second that traffic slowed to a halt, she pushed through the people waiting before her and ran across the street.

"Watch it, kid!" some random guy shouted, but she was quick to ignore him. All she cared about was finding out what her brother was up to.

* * *

It was about ten minutes later when Lincoln finally arrived at the bus station, having not slowed his pace even the slightest. Lynn was not far behind, keeping a close enough distance to see him, but far enough away to keep hidden. When she took a crouched position behind a bench and peeked over, she had two thoughts on her mind- 'I'm surprised Lincoln kept up his pace for that long', and 'what is Lincoln doing at the bus station?' Her initial thought was that he was planning to take a bus somewhere, which concerned the older sister. The idea that her brother might be running away was immediately appearing in her mind, and she was considering running out to hug him the second the bus appeared, and tell him that she didn't want him to go. However, she stopped herself when she saw him waving at the bus- more specifically, he was waving at someone who was on it. 'He's… waiting for someone?'

Lincoln, still none the wiser about Lynn, smiled as he walked towards the door of the bus. He stood back so most of the passengers could get off, until he saw who he was waiting for. The last person to step off the bus was an eleven-year-old Latina girl, with her black hair in a ponytail, wearing a yellow hoodie with the blue letters 'R W' on the front, dark grey jean shorts, pink socks and purple shoes, as well as a purple backpack. Her eyes met those of the white-haired boy and she smiled.

"Hey, Lame-O!" She greeted.

"You made it!" He happily responded, the two sharing a hug.

"Glad to be here. I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"Nah, I pretty much just got here." He then released the hug and pulled his backpack off his back. "Speaking of getting…"

As he opened the bag and reached in, her eyes watched curiously, then widened upon seeing a red box, tied up with a silver ribbon. She looked up and saw a blush on his cheeks. "Lincoln… you got this for me?" He nodded, extending the gift to her which she slowly accepted. "I can't believe you did this."

"It was nothing really. Open it."

She nodded, beginning to untie the ribbon. Lifting the lid, she couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little as she pulled out what was inside- a brown stuffed bear, wearing a crash helmet and holding a skateboard. "You're such a Lame-O, Lincoln… and I'm glad you are. I love it, Lincoln, thank you."

His heart fluttered at hearing her say this. "I'm glad." She put the lid back on the box and pulled her backpack off her back. Before she put the box in, however, she pulled out a different gift, this one thin and wrapped in white paper. Handing it to Lincoln, the boy's smile dropped. "Wait… is this for me?"

She smirked as she placed the box in her backpack. "What, I can't give you a gift yet you can give me one? Just shut up and open it already."

He chuckled. "Alright, you win, I'll open it." He carefully tore through the paper, pulling it away to reveal a framed copy of an Ace Savvy comic, entitled 'Ace Savvy: Love Is In The Cards', with a signature from Bill Buck at the bottom. "Oh my God! Ronnie, this is- I mean- how did you find this?!"

She shrugged. "Saw it in a shop window, thought you'd like it."

He looked back up at her, his face beaming with glee, a wide and toothy smile on his face. "I LOVE it! Thank you!"

Her cheeks went pink at hearing this. "Glad to hear it. So, since I'm here, what do you have planned?"

"Well," he answered as he put the comic in his backpack, "I was thinking, rather than be cheesy and do all the stuff Bobby and Lori would do, we just head down to Gus' Games and Grub, play some games and split a pizza."

"Well, aren't you a romantic," she joked. "Still, I like the sounds of that."

"Well, it was where we first hung out together, so I thought it would be perfect for us."'He then took her by surprise and took her hand in his own. "Shall we go now?"

She soon smiled, enjoying the feeling of holding his hand, and gave him a nod. The two began to walk away, neither of them noticing Lynn. The sporty Loud had been watching the whole time, not able to hear everything they said but able to fill the gaps with what she saw. She had to resist every urge that told her to squeal happily, take a picture and call up the others to tell them what was happening.

"I can't believe it!" She said to herself. "She came back to be his Valentine! That's so sweet of her…" Just then, she heard her phone ring. Quickly answering, she held it up to her ear and spoke, "hello?"

"Hey, Lynn, it's me," she heard a familiar voice reply, causing her to blush.

"Hey, Francisco."

"I just got out of practice and wanted to call. I know it's Valentine's Day and all, but I need to head home."

"Oh, that's okay. Something's come up for me as well, so I wouldn't have been able to hang out."

"Oh, well, that's cool. In that case, why don't we hang out on Saturday? I got tickets for the Red Wings game."

"You're kidding?! Dude, that's awesome! Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Great! I gotta get going right now, so I'll see you Saturday!"

"Okay! See you Saturday!" She hung up and sighed happily, before realising that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne had gone. "Well… I could leave them be… but, what kind of older sister would I be if I didn't make sure my little brother was okay?" With a slightly devilish grin, Lynn made her way after her brother and his girlfriend.

* * *

It was about two hours later when Lincoln and Ronnie Anne returned to the bus station, having had a blast at the arcade. The two had played a few games, split a pizza, but more importantly, they enjoyed being in each other's company. It hadn't taken long for Lynn to find the two and get a spot where she wouldn't be caught as she watched them on their date. The whole time, she was happy for her brother, noticing that his smile never left his face. As the two fifth graders waited for the bus to arrive, they turned to each other.

"I'm glad I came back today, Lame-O," Ronnie Anne told him. "I had a lot of fun with you."

"I'm glad you did too," he replied. "It's been nice, being able to hang out with you again."

"Yeah. Gotta admit, I kinda missed Royal Woods," she glanced past his shoulder and rolled her eyes at the sight of a brown ponytail sticking out behind a bench, "even if your sister has been following us."

Lincoln quickly turned around, and frowned when he realised that Lynn was watching them. "Seriously, Lynn?!" The athletic thirteen-year-old, now royally rumbled, came out from behind her spot, smiling meekly. "How long have you been watching us?!"

"Oh, you know, just… about ten minutes…" Lincoln stares at her, not believing her answer and easily knowing there was more to it. "… before Ronnie Anne arrived."

Lincoln pinches the bridge of his nose. "Should've known one of you would be watching."

Ronnie Anne simply smirked. "At least she followed you in person. When I went downtown for the first time, mi abuela put a tracker on me!"

Lincoln smirked back. "You do remember my sister Lisa, right?" The three of them shared a laugh, just as the bus pulled into the station. "I guess that's you, right?"

Ronnie Anne nodded. "Yeah. I'll call you when I get back home." She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him tenderly on the lips, the boy reciprocating as they held it for a few seconds before releasing, looking deeply into each other's eyes. "Happy Valentines Day, Lincoln."

"Happy Valentines Day, Ronnie Anne."

Ronnie Anne turned to the other Loud present. "Nice seeing you, Lynn."

"You too, Santiago."

With one last hug between them, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne said goodbye as the latter boarded the bus. She got a window seat, so that she could look out of the window and wave. Lincoln and Lynn returned the wave, the former more-so, as the bus drove away and headed back to the city. As it did so, Lynn looked to her brother and noticed something- he was still smiling, yet there was a sadness behind it, which made her frown. "Look, Linc, I-"

"Lynn, is it okay if we talk about this when we get back?" Lincoln told her, surprising her with the bluntness in his words. "I kinda wanna head home right now."

She opened her mouth to say something, but found that the words she wanted to say wouldn't form, so she simply nodded, and said, "sure, bro."

* * *

Over at 1216 Franklin Avenue, nicknamed the Loud House for the residing family's surname and nature, the two parents of the Loud family- Rita and Lynn Sr- were in the living room, worried expressions on their faces. Rita was beginning to pace, while Lynn was sat on the couch.

"Where could he be?" Rita asked out loud. "It's almost six o'clock, he should've been home two hours ago!"

"Honey, I'm sure there's a reason for this," Lynn reasoned with his wife. "Lincoln knows not to be out too late without us knowing."

"I know, but-" She was cut off by the sound of the front door opening, and the sight of her sole son and fifth eldest daughter walking in. "There you are! Lincoln Loud, where have you been?"

"Sorry, I just-"

"Sorry isn't enough!" Lynn Sr. interjected. "Your mother and I were expecting you to come home two hours ago, so why didn't you?"

"He was with me," Lynn Jr answered before Lincoln could, surprising him and their parents. "My baseball practice got cancelled, so I started to head home and bumped into Lincoln. When I told him practice was cancelled, he offered to hang out with me, so we went to Gus' for a bit and had pizza while we were there."

"I see," Rita spoke again, now she knew the 'facts'. "Well, at least you were safe. Next time, though, could you let us know if you're gonna be home late?" Lincoln nodded. "Thank you." She looked up at the clock. "Our reservations are in half an hour. Will you two be okay by yourselves until your other sisters get back?"

"Sure."

"Well, if you're sure," Lynn Sr replied as he stood up. "We'll be back in a couple of hours. I know you sad you ate at the arcade, but if you get hungry, there should be some leftovers in the fridge."

"See you soon, kids!" Rita called as she and her husband left the house. Once the door was locked, Lynn Jr turned to her brother.

"So… is it okay if we talk now?" She asked, her voice a little quieter than usual.

"Sure," he responded.

The two sat down on the couch, neither speaking for about fifteen seconds as Lynn figured out what she wanted to say. When she finally did, she took a deep breath and began, "I'm sorry." She wasn't looking at Lincoln, so she didn't realise he was surprised by this. "I know you hate it when we meddle in your business, but I just had to know what you were doing."

"Lynn…"

"When I saw you heading down the street, I was worried that you were in trouble, and when I saw you head to the bus station, I was terrified that you were leaving us."

"Lynn-"

"And yeah, I realised you weren't when I saw her arrive, but-"

"LYNN!" She went quiet after his outburst, but when she looked at him, she saw he was calm. "I'm not mad at you for following me." He could tell by how she blinked and her eyes widened that this surprised her. "I mean, I'm a bit disappointed, but I'm not mad, or even surprised. After all, I should have known one of you would probably find out. You can't go one day without meddling in my life."

He half expected her to give a bit of a laugh or a snide comment about this, but instead, she frowned. "But… if you're not upset with me, then why did you seem so… sad after she-" In that moment, seeing her brother's face fall and saying it out loud, it became clear. "Oh… Oh, geez, Lincoln…" She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so-" He shrugged it away, turning so she couldn't see that he was on the verge of tears. "Linc…"

"I know I should be happy," he struggled to speak, his voice wavering. "Today was probably… the most fun I've had in a long time, and… to just be with her again made me feel so happy…" The first tear trickled down his face, and it wasn't long before more came pouring down after it. "But it hurts knowing that I can't just see her like I used to. Knowing that… that, I can only speak to her by video chat, a-and see her in person maybe once a month, if I'm lucky. I just miss… I-I miss…" Lynn, whose own eyes were welling up with tears, shuffled towards Lincoln and pulled him into a side-on hug, which Lincoln turned into a full one. Lynn knew that his tears were getting on her shirt, but she didn't care. She was more focused on her brother, trying to calm him down by rubbing his back and holding him close. She didn't dare to speak, simply allowing him to get everything off his chest. "Why did it have to be like this?"

"I don't know," Lynn choked out, feeling her own emotions getting the better of her. "It sucks, and I can't imagine how tough this must be for you… but I know you can handle this."

The boy, upon hearing this, lifted his head up, loosening the hug so they could look eye to eye. "You do?"

She nodded. "Better than I, or any of the others could."

"But… how do you know that?"

"Because I could see it. The way you two looked at each other, how close you were together, the joy on your faces at being together… I'm not great when it comes to love and feelings and all that, but I know what I saw, and I know you love each other, and that it's the real thing. It's not just something you say with you two- it's something you feel."

He was silent for a moment, taking in her words and the look of care and sincerity in her eye when she said them, before smiling and hugging her again. "Thanks, Lynn."

"Eh, what are big sisters for?" She joked as she hugged him back. "So, since it's just us, you wanna watch some TV?"

He let go of the hug. "Actually, I'm gonna head to my room for a bit. I'm kinda warn out."

Looking at him, she could see that he did seen tired, especially given his tears. "Alright, bro. I won't disturb you." He nodded, getting up from the couch and beginning to head upstairs. "And hey- I won't tell the others about it. We'll keep it between us."

He looked back, telling her, "thanks, Lynn," before heading into his room and shutting the door. He was going to plop straight on the bed, but first, he put his backpack on the desk and opened it. Pulling out the framed comic, he smiled, then looked out the window, the girl who gave it to him on his mind.

* * *

Little did he know that Ronnie Anne was doing the same thing, holding the stuffed bear in her hands as she looked out the window and thought of him. The bus, which had just pulled to a stop, waited for a short, old woman to find a seat. "Excuse me, dear," she said to Ronnie Anne, "is this seat taken?" The Santiago girl shook her head and moved her bag to allow the old woman to sit down. "Thank you, dear. Oh, my! How cute!"

"Huh?" Realising the old woman was talking about the bear, she smiled. "Oh, yeah."

"Was that a gift from someone?" Ronnie Anne nodded. "They must be very special to you."

"Yeah," her gaze returned to the window, "he is."

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**


End file.
